too much water??????

Is it possible to drink too much water???? I have a 128 ounce pitcher that I fill with water at night before I go to bed so it is super cold for me the next day. Today, I realized that I had drank the whole thing!! Now, I have this wierd feeling in my stomach. Should I not be drinking this much water??? I had one diet rite soda today, and I seemed to want to eat junk after that, so I went back to the water. Any ideas?? Thanks.

Yes, there is such thing as too much. This is more of a concern with athletes, that drink a large amount of water in a short amount of time (marathon runners especially) It is technically called hyponatremia. Water goes from being good for you to dangerous when the body can't process and eliminate that much water. The excess water ends up taking salt from body tissues, and because of the salt imbalance, the brain may swell, causing brain damage or even death. As long as you are active, 4 qts of water each day is fine (as long as you are taking in some sodium too)... Your body can only rid itself of so much water, so you do need to be careful... You should let your thirst guide you. I usually drink a minimum of 128 oz of water each day and have never had any problems, days when I am not as active, I don't drink as much.. Technically, normal and healthy kidneys can handle up to 400 oz of water daily, but keep in mind that many fruits and veggies are made up of water too. Generally, it is pretty difficult to drink too much water, so you should be fine

Last year a doctor from did an interesting study about drinking all that water. Take a look at his findings. He believes that the 8 glasses of water a day is unnecessary. He's a kidney specialist.
[url="http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/news/2002_h2/print/08aug2002_water.html"]http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/news/2002_h2/print/08aug2002_water.html[/url]

Originally posted by GoinCruisin:... the brain may swell, causing brain damage or even death...

Cruisin is right - a college student in my town died just a few months ago in a fraternity hazing incident that involved the pledges having to do funnels of water. They thought they were avoiding trouble by using water instead of alcohol. I'm sure you weren't planning to do funnels of water, but just wanted to confirm that yes, there is such a thing as too much.

Originally posted by Lindarella:Last year a doctor from did an interesting study about drinking all that water. Take a look at his findings. He believes that the 8 glasses of water a day is unnecessary. He's a kidney specialist.
[url="http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/news/2002_h2/print/08aug2002_water.html"]http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/news/2002_h2/print/08aug2002_water.html[/url]

Well I haven't conducted any studies but every since I started drinking more water, I have more control over my appetite, I'm more awake, and my skin looks healthier. Also, keep in mind, the doctor who did this study is a kidney specialist, not a weight loss expert. Second, he merely states that additional water is not necessary, but he doesn't say that there aren't benefits from increased water intake.